Week 5 is all about you! It’s Puppy Family Visit Day!
You reserved your puppy, fell in love when you saw their birth photos and watched their update videos multiple times. Now they’re 5 weeks old and you get to hold them in your arms! The Puppy Family Visit is when you meet all the puppies in your litter at Van Isle Doodles.
If you wonder why you have to wait until the puppies are 5 weeks old, it’s to protect their health and so you have a puppy ready to interact with you.
Puppies only have maternal antibodies to protect them from deadly diseases like parvo and distemper. Those diseases can be found on your shoes, clothing or even shed by vaccinated dogs. It’s important to wait until the puppies have a slightly more robust immune system before meeting new people or dogs. Puppies also need to be 5 weeks or older before they do much interacting with people. Until then, they are focused on growing and playing with their littermates. By 5 weeks though, people are fun and they are as excited to meet you as you are to meet them.
Tika's Story
Tika, a remarkably mature young girl, took it upon herself to persuade her parents to welcome a dog into their family. She diligently researched dog breeds that would suit their lifestyle and allergy concerns. Tika felt Australian Labradoodles were the perfect breed. She then began her hunt for the right breeder.
Tika’s Dad readily embraced the idea of adding a puppy to the family, but her Mom, who had allergies, expressed reservations about the potential challenges they might face. Understandably, Tika’s Mom couldn’t ignore the possibility of having to prioritize her health over having a puppy. She hesitated to crush her daughter’s dreams if her allergies proved unmanageable.
The McLennan Family
Susan and Dave lost their beloved cockapoo at 17. They waited until their hearts healed and then looked for a puppy to join their family. A puppy who was social, tolerant of other dogs, young children and non-shedding were top priorities. Janice especially wanted a puppy who would understand their son’s dog, Nellie who doesn’t like other dogs as a general rule.
On Puppy Family Visit day, you could see the pleasure Dave had from spending time with the puppies. His shoulders went down, his face relaxed and he exuded that feeling of contentment a puppy’s complete trust and unconditional love gives you.
Susan had chatted with me on the phone about how much she longed for the companionship of a puppy again. We shared our love of quilting during our call and the fact that we both had Cockapoos in the past and then moved to the Australian Labradoodle breed.
At the family visit, Susan cuddled all the puppies and smiled from ear to ear whenever she held one in her arms. I could tell Susan enjoyed meeting all the puppies. Susan remarked that it was the best afternoon of her life.
The Smith Family
Janice has followed Van Isle Doodles for years. She was turned onto Labradoodles after meeting a Van Isle puppy but, Janice and Len weren’t sure if a puppy was right for them. So they asked their friends if they could look after their dog as a trial run.
That was it! Janice and Len knew their family would be complete once they had a Van Isle Doodle puppy added to it. They found the perfect litter, applied and began their puppy journey with Van Isle Doodles.
When it was Puppy Family Visit Day, Janice and Len were both excited to meet all the puppies. Janice couldn’t decide who she liked holding best so she held them all multiple times. There were a lot of puppy kisses!
Len enjoyed holding the puppies in his lap. The puppies understood the need to be quieter on Len’s lap than on the floor. I don’t know who had more fun, the puppies or Len. That smile on Len’s face made me think it was Len!
When the puppies got tired, they returned to the Doodle Den for a well-deserved nap. They were so tired, they almost slept through dinner time!
After chatting with one another, our families returned to their homes ready to receive and complete their homework assignments. We ask a series of questions to help us understand each family’s wants and needs better.
The puppies and families waited eagerly to find out who was going where on Allocation Day. Find out more about about we make the perfect match between you and your puppy here: